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Celtic Challenge: 'Excited to see what we can do as Glasgow Warriors'
By Gary Heatly
Ailie Tucker admits she was shocked to be named Glasgow Warriors’ Players’ Player of the Season after their inaugural foray into the Celtic Challenge in 2023/24, but the award handed out a few months ago gave her real confidence and now she cannot wait to get involved at this level for a second campaign.
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Although Glasgow struggled in the competition last year and did not win a match, nobody who watched any of their games can have been surprised that the loosehead prop was given a prize by her teammates.
Tucker’s carrying in the loose was a real feature for the Warriors as they tried to get on the front foot and at scrum time she was a constant for the Scots.
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However, before it all began the player, who won youth trophies with Biggar and has gone on to win senior trophies with Watsonians, doubted whether she could step up to that level.
The Celtic Challenge, the cross-border competition now involving six Scottish, Welsh and Irish sides and growing all the time after a successful pilot back in 2022/23, is aimed at bridging the gap between the club and international game.
It is positioned perfectly in the season because it runs from later this month until March just before the Women’s Six Nations to allow players to throw their hats into the ring for national team selection.
If she hits the ground running in this year’s event then uncapped Tucker’s name may well come into the Scotland conversation, but just over 12 months ago the now 25-year-old was worried whether she could even put herself into contention for being picked for Glasgow.
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“When club players were asked to put their names forward to try out for Glasgow and Edinburgh, I wasn’t sure if it was my sort of thing and, if I’m being honest, whether I could make an impact at a higher level,” Tucker said.
“However, my coaches and teammates at Watsonians encouraged me to go along to the Celtic Challenge trial training sessions and I am so glad that I did.
“I’ve made friends for life” 💙
From Biggar and Watsonians to being a Warrior – Ailie Tucker proudly representing this evening 💪#WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/hdbUDD3Sny
— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) February 17, 2024
“I knew it was going to be a big commitment alongside working on the family farm near Biggar, but I gave everything to it and I was really happy when I was selected in the first-ever Glasgow Warriors women’s squad.
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“It was a big step up for me, but it was a step up for a lot of the players, and I soon began to really enjoy the more intense environment and working more on my fitness and the ‘extras’ that were needed to compete against Edinburgh and the Welsh and Irish teams.
“The competition last year tested out my skills as a rugby player, but it also tested me mentally because playing high-level games back-to-back, coming out on the wrong side of results and doing a lot of travelling can be tough.
“I was pleased with how I coped with all of that and, I can’t lie, I loved testing myself against some top-quality tightheads and seeing how I went.
“So, I was feeling pretty good about my rugby by the end of the competition, but it was not until the shock of being given the Players’ Player of the Season award came that I really got a big confidence boost and realised I could make an impact at this sort of level regularly.
“And going into this second season I now know more what to expect and I am excited to see what we can do as Glasgow Warriors.”
Rugby never stands still for long and Tucker is just one of 10 out of the core squad of 30 named this week who will be donning Glasgow colours for a second successive season.
With Chris Laidlaw now defence coach at Harlequins in the PWR, former Scotland prop Lindsey Smith has taken over as head coach of the Warriors who open their campaign with a derby away to Edinburgh Rugby next Friday, December 20.
“The squad may have changed, but the culture here is still the same and we all have a real desire to represent Glasgow Warriors with pride,” Tucker said.
“I think the number of new faces in the group just shows the competition for places that there is and the fact that so many players from the club game saw what was going on last year and said ‘I want a piece of that’.
🔥 The story so far of our Players' Player of the Season in memory of Siobhan Cattigan, Ailie Tucker!
— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) June 4, 2024
“There are players I know from before here now and ones I haven’t come across before, but nobody looks out of place at all in our training sessions and, in terms of the pack, I am excited to see how things build up.
“Front-row wise we have a new-look group and I am really keen to work alongside all of the players because we know that if we can give the team a good platform then we have the players behind us to cause opponents problems.
“And, in that regard, it is great to have Briar McNamara [one of Edinburgh’s standout players last year who has made the move along the M8] in our group of backs along with [former Scotland duo] Lisa Martin and Abi Evans.
“They will bring an experience to the backline that the young, exciting players that we have in that area can feed off and learn from while they will also help us with our game management as we look to play in the right areas of the field.”
The Warriors have three away games to start things off in the expanded event which will see the teams play 10 matches and take on each other on home soil and on the road.
After their short trip to the Hive next week, Glasgow will be in Belfast to take on last year’s champions Wolfhounds on January 5 and then in Llanelli to play Brython Thunder on January 11.
If they can get at least one win under their belts during that period and build up their squad dynamic then they should be in a good place before hosting Clovers on January 25 at Scotstoun Stadium.
“Playing at Scotstoun is really exciting,” Tucker concluded.
“I remember running out there for the first time last season and it was just great to be playing there and the backing we got was brilliant.
“The Glasgow Warriors’ overall club also really brought us into things and made us feel part of it and that culture is special and something we want to build on.
“I’ll admit it was quite strange when we were in for day training camps and players from the men’s squad like [the now departed] Richie Gray and [Scotland captain] Sione Tuipulotu were there at lunch just chatting away, but they could not have been nicer to us.
“Whether you are male or female, play for Scotland or are a young player coming through at this level for the first time, everyone is treated the same and I think that is the kind of environment which can help us get the best out of ourselves and out of each other.”
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